How Do I Add Slackware to Fedora's Grub.conf

Alien_Hominid · 10-23-2007, 11:42 PM

Thank you for your explanations, but I'm still confused and in TLDP I've read:

Quote:

This argument tells the kernel what device is to be used as the root filesystem while booting. The default of this setting is the value of the root device of the system that the kernel was built on. For example, if the kernel in question was built on a system that used `/dev/hda1' as the root partition, then the default root device would be `/dev/hda1'. To override this default value, and select the second floppy drive as the root device, one would use `root=/dev/fd1'.

Ok, so why I've never needed to put root when booting Slackware kernels? Do Slackware scripts use rdev to alter image and change root partition location? If yes, so root kernel option isn't necessary. Same would go to Fedora's (root=LABEL=/).

Now my question about Grub. As I understand (understood until now) root (hdx, x) option shows grub in which partition to search for kernel image. It opens that partition and checks boot dir for required image. Then kernel boots up and takes all the work from grub. So it's still a mystery for me, why raziel23x's solution didn't work:

Code:

title Slackware
root (hd0,3)
kernel /boot/linux-2.6.21.7 root=LABEL=/ rhgb quiet
initrd /boot/initrd-2.6.21.7.img

duryodhan · 10-24-2007, 12:27 AM

Wheb grub was installed it only knew how to read hd(0,1). So when you do root hd(0,,3) , it doesn't know how to read that partition.

And you are right .. the root=LABEL isn't necessary , but it is better to give it thats all.

raziel23x · 10-25-2007, 05:52 AM

I got it to work by installing LiLo into the root boot sector of Slaceware and just use the Chainloader in grub to boot into LiLo to access Slackware.

TNWestTex · 10-25-2007, 12:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by raziel23x

OKay I got i did a google searcha nd found my answer to x windows and slackware but now to figure out how to do updates and add software like yum does by it checking online for a newer Version and if it is possible to install yum into slackware

Another update helper is swaret. All must be used with some care as there is a lot less hand holding than with yum. I just download the new items in the patches directory of a mirror to a patches directory on my system and run

Code:

upgradepkg desiredfile.tgz

For -current I keep the new tarballs in directories corresponding to the various groupings a,ap, etc.

On the original subject, there is endless confusion over grubs using root for its own information and for information it passes to the kernel. Maybe grub2 will fix it but no one seems to be going there. Another source of confusion is that for the kernel line

Code:

root=LABEL=/

refers to the Fedora root filesystem because Fedora labels the partition with "/". Slackware does not label the partition during the install. You can label it as you desire with the appropriate label program for the filesystem in use. Woe unto you if there are duplicate labels. So if appropriately labeled,

Code:

root=/dev/sda4 and
root=LABEL=slac12

could be equivalent. Labeling becomes important with multiple SATA drives as the driver seems to make the drive with the root filesystem sda no matter what its order is on the system.

Robert McBroom